Checkout workstations, such as those at retail venues, are typically used during the purchase process to register and pay for the picked item (also referred to as “products”). Commonly, these workstations include a scanner operable to detect indicia (e.g., a barcode depicting a Universal Product Code) associated with an item and a controller operable to act upon the detection of the indicia. While in many instances, the workstations are operated by clerks who assist customers through the checkout process, in some cases the workstations may also be configured a self-checkout lane operated by the customers directly.
For imaging-based checkout workstations, an imager having a field of view (FOV) is used to optoelectrically capture the indicia. This is also referred to as “scanning an item.” In particular, an item bearing the indicium is positioned within the scanner's FOV and an image of that indicium is captured. Upon capture, the information encapsulated in the indicium is decoded and the item associated with the indicium is added to the running tally (also referred to as a “register”) that is later used to determine the total amount of money owed by the customer.
Although this process of adding items to the register is relatively easy, there are instances where an item, after having been added, needs to be removed from the register. This can happen when, for example, the indicium is presented to the scanner more times than there are items associated with that indicium, when a clerk incorrectly enters the total number of items associated with a scanned indicium, or when a customer no longer wants an item after it has already been scanned. In these instances, the clerk (or the customer in case of a self-checkout workstation) is required to manually interact with the workstation's interface to remove the unwanted items. This can be cumbersome, time-consuming, and may require the assistance of other store personnel, like another clerk, supervisor, manager, etc.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved devices, systems, and methods associated with checkout workstations.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.